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Alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione's mother had been desperately searching for her son for the better part of a year—before seeing him pop up on the news for murder charges.
Knewz.com has learned that the 26-year-old accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold blood allegedly led police on a five-day multi-state search for him before he was nabbed from a McDonald's outlet in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Luigi belongs to one of the wealthiest and most well-known families in the Baltimore area, being the grandson of multimillionaire real estate developer Nicholas Mangione who built an "empire" of country clubs, nursing homes, and a radio station.
He was also a big-dollar donor to several philanthropic causes, and all his children and grandchildren went on to have stellar careers in various fields.
"The Mangione name adorns the swimming complex at Loyola University, where six of Nicholas’ grandchildren graduated, and the obstetrics department at Greater Baltimore Medical Centre, where all 37 of the Mangione grandchildren are believed to have been born," it has been reported.
According to reports, the family has donated over $1 million to the Greater Baltimore Medical Centre over the years. The Mangione family also runs its own charity, named the Mangione Family Foundation, which, according to 2022 filings, has assets worth $4.4 million.
Luigi himself graduated high school as a valedictorian from a private all-boys high school—with a reported annual fee of $40,000. He went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with degrees in engineering in 2020.
However, reports from friends and acquaintances have noted that Luigi gradually started to disappear after going through an agonizing back surgery for a misaligned spine.
The 26-year-old alleged CEO killer suffered from a condition known as spondylolisthesis, a spinal disorder where a vertebra moves out of the proper position.
His condition is said to have gotten significantly worse after he suffered a surfing accident, following which he underwent back surgery—one that involved placing four large screws deep into his spine to help with the pain.
However, reports have mentioned that the surgery went wrong, and according to Mangione's former high school classmates, this could have been what pushed the wealthy former valedictorian toward a "worrying spiral" over the past year.
According to reports, Mangione is believed to have moved to Japan following the botched surgery around six months ago, living a life in seclusion and not maintaining any contact with his friends or family.
A deep dive into his X, formerly known as Twitter, account showed multiple posts from earlier in 2024 tagging the suspected killer and asking him if he was alright.
During this time, the entire Mangione family was engaged in a search for the 26-year-old, especially his mother Kathy, who reportedly left no stone unturned in her desperate search for her son.
"She would have done everything to find her son and couldn’t," said an individual close to the Mangiones.
Family members had also reached out to Luigi's friends in hopes of any leads about him.
It has been reported that immediately before Luigi finally resurfaced – or rather, his news did – in the most shocking way possible, Kathy Mangione was going about her life normally.
"On Saturday, she lunched with friends at an Italian market near Baltimore’s waterfront. The next afternoon, she and her husband, Lou Mangione, attended a ceremony honoring one of her brothers at a church in the city’s Little Italy," reports mentioned.
However, the lives of the suspected CEO killer's parents "completely did a flip-flop" within 24 hours, according to longtime family friend Santo Grasso.
The Mangione family has released a statement regarding the accusations brought against Luigi, saying that they "only know what we have read in the media."
At the time of Luigi's arrest on December 10, officers found a gun in Luigi's possession that was “consistent with the weapon used in the murder” and he was also carrying a face mask similar to the one the murder suspect was seen wearing in the footage released by the police.
"A New Jersey ID in Mr Mangione’s possession matched the ID the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting," reports have mentioned.
The police also recovered a three-page handwritten "manifesto" in Luigi's possession which read: "It had to be done. These parasites had it coming... I don’t want to cause any trauma, but it had to be done."
The document also reportedly raised questions about "why America has the most expensive healthcare in the world without the quality of care to match."
However, following a hearing on Tuesday, December 10, Mangione's lawyer said that his client plans to plead "not guilty" to all charges, according to reports.
"I haven’t seen any evidence that says that he’s the shooter," the lawyer was quoted as saying.